A visit to the speech therapist sometimes can be an overwhelming experience for parents and children. The reason being a new environmental setting for the child. As a parent who wants their child to be compliant for the assessment a multitude instructions given to the child. This continuous parent directives can make the child anxious and have an episode of meltdown or tantrum.
The delivery of speech-language services in the home allows for one-on-one interaction in an environment where the individual is most comfortable. Therapy activities can be tailored to address the “real life” functional needs. The home setting also provides opportunities to individualize each patient’s care plan to their specific environmental and social needs.
The therapist can elicit various responses from the individual by providing him with new activities in a familiar environment thus the stress and anxiety levels would be very minimal. They would be comfortable and happy without any disruption to their regular activities. The evaluation and therapy would be done without any bias and parental directives for the child could be less.
This service is best suited for individuals who require speech-language services at home as they are unable to mobilize due to various reasons, such as family members unable to accompany to a clinic, etc. From the viewpoint of a speech-language pathologist, home care practice affords added flexibility and autonomy, interaction with patients and families on a personal level. This creates opportunities for true interdisciplinary service delivery.